NONA
by Shrewd Underdog
Summary: What happens when you find out that your world is built on a lie? How much does it take to shake you out of stasis? What would you do if you've finally got enough? How can you go on with your life if you're left all alone to deal with the truth you wish you've never discovered?
1. Zero

**Zero.**

The city met new dawn with electrified silence. The usually busy streets now held mute clusters of people waiting for something. Ad banners gleamed and chimed happily in vain. The NONA tower swimming in a golden haze of rising sun hovered over the city like a ghost of terror that's been haunting the whole nation for the last three weeks.

Finally, one by one, the large screens flickered cutting off the useless commercials. Now every frame showed a picture of a slim short man in his late twenties, draped in dark clothes and holding a smoldering cigarette between his fingers, seated in some abandoned warehouse. With a tired sigh he looked up at the camera and said:

"_Hello there. This is a default message for the worst case scenario. If you are watching this, that means I'm most likely dead by now. So technically, there is no point in hiding anymore."_

With that he fished a small device out of his pocket and pressed a button. A Holo surrounding him fell apart. Instead of once sharp dark eyes now dulled by tiredness, large opal orbs calmly gazed upon a stunned crowd. The woman on the screens sighed again and continued:

"_My name… My real name is Akane Tsunemori, an Inspector for the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Welfare and Public Safety. __And this is my last recording."_

* * *

><p>Ten minutes earlier, twenty stories down beneath the NONA tower in clinically lit up room with no corners the very same woman stood and listened to the hum of the life support system, waiting for a reply. She wasn't even interested in one. It was of more interest to find out, just how much did Sibyl System know now about the way Akane's mind worked. Everything depended on an assumption that they haven't learned enough.<p>

With an air of boredom Inspector took out a cigarette and lit it up. She's never been a good liar. That's why trying to bluff her way into this room and out of the trap, certainly waiting for her there, took all her strength and resolve not to break down and see this day through to the end. Even though she knew that the gesture would be identified as a telltale of nervousness, she couldn't bring herself to care anymore. Everything _would_ end today, for better or for worse. Finally, a smug almost human female voice echoed around the room:

"_**There is no way for your society to survive without us. You know that, right… **__**Inspector Tsunemori**__**? They wouldn't even know what to do with the freedom you so desire to give them."**_

The emphasis on her status made Akane snap her attention back on. Under the bravado of a superior mind in the tones of Sibyl there finally lurked an uncertainty which made criminally asymptomatic minds desperately seek a weakness in her defenses and logic. Well, this was of no use for them now: the most important thing she had learned from her encounters with the likes of them or Makishima was that weakness lies in doubt. Now, standing at the threshold of an end, there was no place for doubt and no backing down.

"_They'll find the way. We always have."_

"_**As interesting and naïve as ever. What do you think is going to happen when there is no System to keep criminals locked away? The riots, the deaths of innocent – and no one to stop it. Didn't you learn from the past, Ms Tsunemori? Do you think they are going to be grateful to you after something like that?"**_

The tiny woman flinched. The forgotten cigarette wavered in her fingers. This notion could turn out to be more real than she wanted to think. But then again, didn't some latent criminals show her that it wasn't the System that made humans want to be better? Didn't seemingly normal people turn out to be monsters that would give chills to even the most experienced Enforcers? Sibyl's interference in most cases just made it worse. Semi human machine armed with steel of logic and blind obedience and trust still wasn't human enough. Emotion was alien to logic. Humans were just subjects in another experiment. And that detachment was _their_ weakness. Akane lifted her head up again:

"_You are so sure I didn't think about that. But what you forget about is that everything I did for the last three weeks led them to the point where they can make a choice of their own. And they are going to make it together. You wanted to show them your true nature one day, on your terms. But that would've had to be just another deceit. The truth would have been too horrible to accept and they would have been shocked into frenzy. Not something you would want, right? But give them time to adapt to the reality and they start thinking on their own. It's all in the way you give information. If you understand the way human emotion works, of course. I just had to make my move before you did."_

Inspector allowed herself a small smile.

"_With all the capacity of two hundred minds you still can't grasp the way our hearts tick. What you call a dangerous amount of emotion has been the very thing that accompanied change throughout human history. It helped us evolve. You assume that in the end everyone is as sterile and detached as you, but that's where you are wrong. That's why we don't need you that much. And after everything they've seen, there will be enough people among Inspectors and Enforcers to maintain order."_

She looked at the burning point of her cigarette like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Then seemingly as an afterthought she added:

"_Did you know that in the beginning Sibyl System was supposed to be used on the very limited scale after the society normalized and didn't need to coordinate it's every step with Sibyl's 'prophecies'?"_

"_**But it proved to be flawless and was left the way it should be – the way we are now" **_followed an immediate irritated answer.

She hit the bull's-eye. Good.

"_That is one way to look at it" _Akane replied sharply._ "The point is that there still are stations connected to the System that were supposed to carry on after you guys resigned. And for the last couple of months someone has been busy restoring them."_

"_**Hm, so all this clamor has been orchestrated to keep our attention fixed specifically on you. Quite clever. But that would achieve you nothing. As long as Sibyl is in control there is no way of changing System's configuration. Anyone who tries it would be eliminated immediately."**_

"_And why do you think am I standing here?" _There was a small grin making its way on Akane's face. She already heard the footfalls behind her but didn't turn around.

"_**You are not leaving the room this time, Akane Tsunemori."**_

She didn't have a Dominator on her person – it would have definitely turned out to be her downfall if she did. There was nothing that she could use as a weapon. That fact made Chief Kasai's impersonation stop dead in its tracks and eye Inspector Tsunemori with a puzzled and wary expression. Something didn't sit right with the scene. Kasai pointed her Dominator at the now former Inspector. The sooner they got rid of her, the better. The younger woman, finally facing her future murderer, stood still and didn't try to escape. Then a calm, bright smile graced her lips and she took the smoldering cigarette between them. After a long drag she outstretched her hand to the side and let the cigarette butt fall.

"_So, this is it for me." S_he was fully smiling now.

Blinding blue light exploded in the room. After a moment of silence something fell on the floor with a sickening sound.

"Took you long enough." A female voice said.

Somewhere up in the city a simple countdown program hit zero turning on the last recording.

* * *

><p><em>Well, hello there) This is the first time I'm doing anything like writing fanfiction, so please, be kind enough to point out my mistakes or even tell me if I should just leave it alone. I've planned it to be a multi-chapter, but if it's no good, I'll stop. <em>_Promise)_

_Thanks for at least reading ;)_


	2. On The Nature of Daylight

_I saw _movie_ trailer. I'm not sure I'm gonna like the way it'll end. So here is my take on what Sibyl's demise should be like (cause this system irritates me to no end). Post-season 2 certainly, might be post-movie AU (cause they like the plot bunnies and killing characters as much as I do)._

_Okay, welcome to my vision of Sibyl's cage._

* * *

><p><strong>On The Nature of Daylight<strong>

_Five months ago._

Standing in front of an abandoned apartment building on the outskirts of Tokyo Akane wondered. How much time did they spend in the backstreets and dark alleyways chasing down shadows of utopia? Throughout abandoned and trashed spaces kept out of sight, with only tenants being rats and latent (or not so much) criminals. That couldn't leave the likes of her and her "charges" unaffected.

Almost tangible alert sending electricity through her body, robbing her lungs of oxygen every other evening has now become a constant in her life. Cornering a suspect with coordinated moves of "hounds" and "shepherds" has turned into routine. The ever present need to analyze and calculate the culprit's next move turned all of them into Sibyl's hunting dogs – not only Enforcers, but Inspectors as well. The only difference in the end was in the length of the leash. This kind of thoughts sent a shiver down Akane's spine and made her frown every time they entered her mind. Realization was painful. Being "an ideal citizen" in the world, controlled by Sibyl proved to be the most appalling fate she could have chosen. Though deep inside Akane has already realized that as soon as Sibyl lost interest in her, she would be eliminated as an unreasonable risk. In the end every hunter under System's command will become prey. That was another unwanted idea. She never viewed Enforcers as something disposable. To her, every human life was sacred. That's why she did her best to keep everyone who wound up in her missions alive. Yet if someone didn't make it she couldn't even have the luxury of removing a mask of a collected and reserved Inspector. To do that, she had to keep up her charade to try and change the way the System operated. She had to keep going. Her hue won't get clouded no matter what. That reminded her of Shogo Makishima. Not a train of thought she would like to follow right before she had to go down to some abandoned basement. Her nightmares, though few and far between nowadays and never lacking in variety, still sometimes brought her deep under the city to the vast room with catwalks, calm voice reading out a death sentence, bright white "0" sneering at her and then painful red everywhere leaving her to drown in her total worthlessness. But this time there was no one beside her to keep her from falling apart.

Inspector Tsunemori puffed out a cloud of warm air against cold breeze of early spring and hugged her black coat a little tighter around herself. The more time she spent alone these days, the further her mind wondered into forbidden territories. Regret was something she just could not afford. She knew she had to snap out of it, but instead she just sank deeper. Fortunately, the only indication was the increasing amount of burnt out cigarettes in her ashtray and a pack and lighter in her pocket. She still didn't smoke though. Akane chuckled at the memory of Ginoza's grimaces and scowls at her habit.

An old paper rustled past her feet and Akane checked her surroundings again. The block she was in right now has been silently crumbling away since the beginning of the Sibyl's reign. No cameras or scanners around. Pieces of concrete and old junk covered every horizontal surface. The buildings looked like they were about to collapse at any second. The glimmering of the city's inhabited blocks reflected in the water covering the further end of the street. A dark outline of a half sank tanker loomed mere feet away from where the pier used to be. A lump formed in Akane's throat at the thought that the basement they had to inspect might be flooded as well.

To her relief the sepulchral silence of the street was finally broken by a soft hum of car engines. A service vehicle and a paddy wagon stopped, illuminating with their headlights a small female figure of the Inspector leaning against her car. Mika Shimotsuki got out of the driver's seat while the doors of the wagon released the rest of Division 1.

Everyone got ready in complete silence - any sound would alert the culprit about their presence. As soon the preparations were over, all the lights died out leaving the group in semi-dusk. There were only five of them – two "shepherds", three "hounds". Akane couldn't bring herself to take anyone new in anymore. Those who stayed have earned her trust and that was enough for her. With her free hand she indicated for them to split into two groups – Yayoi and Ginoza came with her to the front, Hinakawa went with Inspector Shimotsuki around to the back of the building. The girl frowned, but said nothing and nodded.

Without a word the Division moved towards the building.

The basement was once an underground parking with two exits to the adjacent streets. All of the lower levels were now fully underwater. One could even hear the whisper of the water just below their feet. Akane had to swallow hard before stepping into the dump darkness. The flashlights shone over rifts in the floor, colonnades going through the whole premise, the rim surrounding a huge circular opening right in the middle where the descent to the lower storeys used to be. Water splashed close enough to the edge to touch. And that's where two blurry silhouettes stood with their backs to the entrance. Without having to be asked Enforces simultaneously turned their lights off. In the strange bluish glow coming from the basin they now could make out the figures of a woman and a child reaching for something in the water. A stifled gasp of her companions echoed Akane's dark suspicion. If she was right, they had to act immediately. She glanced back at Kunizuka and Ginoza and nodded. It was the exact moment their target decided to make her move. She came from behind to the boy kneeling at the edge and shoved him in the back. A startled cry rang out under the ceiling, but was cut short by a loud splash. Two seconds later a Dominator was pointed at the woman's face by Yayoi barely containing herself from shooting the lunatic right away. Something akin to defeat showed itself on woman's face and she simply stood there watching her captors rush to the water.

Ginoza was desperately reaching for the drowning boy. But he was in the middle of the gap now with hands helplessly trying and failing to keep him on the surface. So without letting herself to think about all the depth underneath them Akane shook off her shoes and rushed herself into the water beside the Enforcer. Grabbing onto his arm Inspector reached out to catch the boy's flying hands.

"_Come on! Grab my hand!"_

His wet fingers slipped off hers once, twice until he finally managed to grasp her jacket's sleeve. Pulling the boy towards her proved to be too much to ask of Akane, though. For a couple of horrifying seconds her head went under the surface before she was dragged back up. Yayoi was already pulling the boy out of the water while Ginoza struggled to get shaken Akane out as well. In the background Hinakawa and Shimotsuki were pointing their Dominators at the mother who was now muttering something inaudibly, vacant expression on her face. Mika was talking away into her intercom calling for medics and drones, her eyes never leaving the woman in front of her.

The boy was shaking in security of Yayoi's hands with his eyes wide with shock. Noting that, Inspector Shimotsuki took a step towards him. Her Dominator was already half way up when Akane's dazed mind had finally caught up with what was about to happen._ No!_ On sole stubbornness she leaped to stop her colleague, but was a mere second late. Akane's heart fell at the sight of blue light smearing the brown eyes of younger Inspector. The trigger didn't get locked. Tsunemori's feet suddenly buckled and she had to lean onto a barrier beside her to support her weight.

"_Crime Coefficient: 215,7…" _Mika's voice echoed in eerie silence.

The girl looked around and only then did notice that everyone was not looking at her but at Inspector Tsunemoi instead, who was intently staring at her own feet, refusing to look anyone in the eye. After a minute she straightened her back and finally met Mika's gaze with her own unreadable stare. Then she simply turned away and started walking the way they came in. A couple of meters away she stopped and quietly said over her shoulder:

"_Ms Kunizuka, please, take care of the boy until I get back."_

"_Sure"._

With a nod Akane started walking again. Her coat was left in the car, so it would still be warm and dry. There was a change of clothes and a blanket in the trunk. Her mind absently registered the upcoming police sirens, the biting cold air, the need to change and bring a blanket for the boy, yet most of her being was caught up in a distant memory of a man with jagged smile telling her about what it was like to be labeled a latent criminal since the age of five. Back then he frightened her with his ruthlessness towards her life philosophy. All she saw now were the flashes of red hair and happily laughing face without any trace of cruelty. A minute ago Inspector Mika Shimotsuki has unintentionally created another Shusei Kagari. Angry tears blurred her vision and with frustration that she managed to suppress in the basement Akane punched her car. Hard. Over and over again in silence broken only by her quiet sobs. Hard enough to leave her hands bruised and sore. Yet it didn't dull the guilt tearing her apart for even a fraction. _So they __are__ Sibyl's hunting dogs. Catching criminals and their victims alike and bringing them to the feet of their Prophetess. Never questioning her judgment. Happy with their bright blue collars and the image of peace they've seemingly restored. _Akane grit her teeth to regain control over her emotions. Self-loathing and anger won't change anything. And they certainly won't help the boy she failed to protect from her colleague's stupidity. He was now doomed to be isolated until his recovery, which considering the leap his crime coefficient took in such a short time most certainly would never come. Miracles rarely happen. That's in their definition. She got lucky once, on her first day. There might never be another time.

It took her a minute to find blanket and change into dry clothes, but getting out of the car and facing the child she's wronged took all her remaining strength. In the safety of the darkness of her car Akane sat biting her lip to keep her sobs at bay. No tears fell.

When she slowly walked into the building again, the flashes of blue and red light were already illuminating the room's ceiling and faces of her coworkers. Without looking at anyone Akane went straight to Yayoi and now much calmer boy. Both women draped a blanket around him and Akane left him again to Yayoi's care – in the presence of female Enforcer the boy was quickly recovering. Maybe he still had a chance. Yayoi led the boy out of the parking to the medics. Ignored by everyone Inspector Shimotsuki led the mother away to take her to the Bureau. Drones went with the service car leaving the area drained of sounds and irritating light. To Akane's racing mind this sudden void was bliss.

With the Dominators now safely locked away in the paddy wagon and Enforcers getting ready to leave as well Tsunemori slowly walked into the parking again and over to the water. She took an intercom off her hand and into her pocket. Now she could think without the feeling of Sibyl's eye staring at the back of her head. Soft blue phosphorescence shone at her face. Looking into the depths that were close to killing her today Akane still relaxed and smiled. There, in the darkness, hundreds of jellyfish floated glowing blue. What a cruel irony. She's always associated this color with her work: Dominators, Sibyl - everything that took her life away piece by piece. It symbolized the system she obeyed. She hated the color. Yet in these little creatures it was soothing.

To her right Akane felt another person's presence and knew immediately who it was. They silently stood watching the luminescent animals below.

"_Did you ever think how many people we've ruined or turned into something like ourselves?"_ She asked quietly.

"_Ever since my demotion"_ Ginoza replied after some consideration.

"_How can we sleep at night, knowing what fate we've brought upon this child and possibly many others?"_

After a pause she continued_ "We create the inequity with our own hands. Is this justice? How come we don't see that we undo the very thing we should be fighting for?"_

"_It's how the System has always been operating. We see it as a natural way of things. Well, most of us."_

"_Making humans forget what it means to be human..? That only means that the System is…" _she started saying harshly, but stopped herself. Even though there were no cameras or active Dominators around to catch her red-handed, Akane was still paranoid. Too late, though, because ex-Inspector understood exactly how she intended to finish her phrase.

"…_faulty. Be careful whom you are telling things like that, Tsunemori. Anyone else might call it a betrayal of the society's foundation and Sibyl personally." _Yet his tone wasn't scolding or judgmental. Only thoughtful. That reminded of the way Masaoka used to talk to her. The only thing off was the absence of _"missy"_ at the end of the sentence. Another pang in her chest left Akane out of breath. She failed him too. She failed every single person she held respect for and cared about by choosing to obey the System that has brought them all down. Even the fact that instantaneous fall of Sibyl will do more damage than good couldn't change this.

Ginoza interpreted her silence in his own way. _"I'm not the one to judge you, Akane. After everything we've been through doubt is understandable. I'm actually surprised you're still an Inspector with psycho-pass as clear as on day one. I've never been that resistant."_

"_Thanks… I guess."_

"_Guess you're lucky Sibyl has yet to learn how to read minds" _Ginoza said half-jokingly. Met with thoughtful silence he sighed and started walking towards paddy wagon waiting outside.

"_I wish I could make you understand the origin of my resistance…"_ Tsunemori thought bitterly, reaching into her pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

"_How can I tell anyone the truth without automatically signing their death-warrant?"_

In the darkness of abandoned underground parking Akane stood over the water and remembered the person she didn't want to think about most of the time. Shogo Makishima had single-handedly devised a plan that almost brought Sibyl to her knees. Now she often wished they've just let him carry his plan out. Untouched pack fell back inside her pocket.

Painfully familiar voice in her head answered her question: _"To do that you have to become a shadow – visible, yet transparent and untouchable, like he was"._

Like a luminous jellyfish. Akane smiled softly again at the twisted irony. Looking at the life that came to the surface from the very bottom of abyss her eyes glowed with soft blue light. Yet her mind was for once clear and undisturbed by Sibyl's voice. An idea that's been lurking in her mind since the Kamui ordeal was finally taking form.

Akane breathed in the dump air for the last time and left the basement. She had to keep up appearances if she wanted to see the sunrise of another day (and maybe, just maybe, of another era).

* * *

><p><em>Well, hello again. This file's been lying around for a couple of days now. Just forgot 'bout it. Wasn't sure if I should continue. I've made up my mind, though. So no matter how erratic my posting's gonna be, I'm certain I'll finish this.<br>_

_Thanks for reading!_


	3. On The Nature of Daylight (pt 2)

Interrogation of the mother turned out to be as hard for Division 1, as seeing her try to kill her own child. In dull calm voice Masami Asamura told Akane that her son's hue was extremely unstable. Anything could affect him enough to cloud his psycho-pass. On more than one occasion his crime coefficient almost reached 90 points – too close to the borderline for comfort. But it fell as quickly as it rose, so she and her husband kept it secret and hoped that after a while this abnormality would subside. Except that it didn't. So in the end it became unbearable for them to live with a secret like that. The boy's uniqueness has burdened his parents with such responsibility that they couldn't take it anymore. They got divorced and haven't been in contact since. Due to constant stress Masami's hue started to cloud.

"_You of all people should understand what that means. My life would've been ruined because of his psycho-pass. How is that fair? He would've become latent criminal one way or another. I couldn't leave him in orphanage – everyone would know then. And I would've been looked upon for leaving him or for being his mother or I would've become a latent criminal myself. Everything I worked for, dreamed of – would've been destroyed if I didn't give him up."_

At her words Ginoza, standing silently in the dark corner of interrogation room behind Akane, sighed and eyed the woman with mixture of distaste and pity. Her logic reminded him of his own mistakes from years ago. He turned his back on his father and his friend fearing for his own psycho-pass and look where it landed him. This woman's situation wasn't that different from his younger self's. Yet the path Masami chose was awful in its radicality, and even more horrifying was her lack of emotional response. She felt no regret; she viewed her actions as justified, if her unwavering psycho-pass could be any indication.

Seems like Inspector Tsunemori had similar thoughts on the subject, because leaning back in her chair she tiredly looked Asamura in the eyes and obviously coming to some conclusion said softly:

"_You knew he would be fascinated by the jellyfish. There are very few places where you can find something like that. And a public place like oceanarium was out of question. But internet research can do wonders to one's perspective. There still are lots of people who like to explore this world, even if they are the latent criminals you so despise. And an abandoned underground parking lot was ideal for you purposes."_

Akane's voice, though soft and unobtrusive, suddenly became clinical.

_"You intended to leave his body there, report him missing and play the role of an inconsolable mother… You knew that a sudden rise of your crime coefficient would have been ruled out as a result of stress due to your son's disappearance. Am I wrong?" _

Masami blanched. Seeing that Akane pressed further:

"_And if your plan worked, you would've just gone on with your life. Got married again, had another child. Fulfilled your dreams and forgot about the murder you've committed?"_

"_Yes! I have the right to live my life!" _the woman cried out, but immediately clasped a hand over her mouth, understanding that she's just walked into a trap Akane has laid out for her. Inspector in front of her clutched the fabric of her suit under the table. In Masami's head Inspector Tsunemori's voice sullenly asked: _And an innocent child doesn't?_

Masami Asamura's eyes glassed over. On the monitors showing her metrics crime coefficient stumbled several points up and then fell another two down. With stubborn expression on her face the woman said in hashed voice:

"_Get out of my head. You know nothing. You don't know what it's like. This feeling of being unable to change anything. This frustration. His crime coefficient would have hit a hundred eventually. It was inevitable. I had no other choice but let go of him."_

Enforcer's worried eyes darted towards the stoic Inspector. Not listening Akane brusquely stood up midsentence and walked over to the door. Keeping her back to Masami she told her in equally hushed voice:

"_One's psycho-pass is first and foremost an indication of stress the person has undergone, not of their entire personality. If you haven't given up on him, your son might've still had a normal future. So could you."_

The woman seated at the table remained silent. Numbers on screens refused to change. The metal door closed with a loud clang. The woman on the other side of it desperately tried to chase away the images of crumpled sheets of paper and smell of gunpowder.

* * *

><p>"<em>She is not going to repent"<em> Saiga told Akane seated at his couch. Glancing from the CCTV record she brought with her at her face he chuckled and added: _"But you already knew that."_

"_Yeah. But I had to try anyway."_ was Inspector's answer. Using one of old interrogation tricks made her feel somewhat malformed. This is what Sibyl turned them into. "Ideal" citizens ready to do anything to maintain their place in society, police going to extremes to make offenders pay for their crimes. And behind these everyday tragedies loomed a tall dark shape outlined in blue. Akane's right hand clenched into a fist and relaxed again. Sibyl system was created, obeyed and worshipped by humans, so the blame was on them too. But those who stood at the beginning of it were out of the picture now. How can you bring justice to the dead? And those who were taken into the System could not be judged. Kirito Kamui died trying to do just that. Akane had to blink several times to get an image of bright red blood spilled all over the dark floor out of her head.

Under her sensei's perceptive gaze Akane refilled her mug with coffee. In the end it didn't matter whose fault Sibyl System was. It was the way it affected people that was important. After a moment's hesitation Inspector took off her intercom and covered it with a clean mug on the table. Taking a seat at the couch opposite her teacher again and staring thoughtfully into her mug Akane asked Saiga:

"_As a study in history, sensei, what did people do with cruel gods in the past?"_

Catching up on the underlying meaning professor smiled into his own cup of coffee and considered his answer. Truth was dangerous for both of them, but being the detective she was now Akane would certainly know if he decided to lie to her or withhold anything. _Not much of a choice, huh? Did I make her this way? Or, rather, it came with experience? _Settling for a half-truth, Saiga pushed his glasses up his nose and replied:

"_They feared them. Worshipped and feared. And after a while overthrew them and found themselves other gods..."_

His student sighed. That was the moment professor realized that Akane has foreseen his answer before even asking the question. So with another chuckle he took a sip from his mug and finished his thought not as he intended - only in his mind, but vocally, loud enough for only Inspector to hear:

"_By stepping into their fallen gods' place, that is. That's the outcome of any successful revolution, because we never know where to stop."_

The woman opposite him froze for a moment. Then painfully slowly she took a sip of her own coffee.

"_And an outcome of an unsuccessful revolution would be the death of the revolutionary." _Voice calm and somewhat contemplating.

"_Your train of thought makes me wonder, Tsunemori. Same comes for your actions" _he glanced at the upended mug and back at Akane. Seeing her tense body language was enough and Saiga refrained from further interrogation. Taking his glasses off and rubbing at his eyes tiredly he said:

"_Be careful who you share your thoughts with. In Sibyl's eyes thoughtcrime __does__ entail death. And frankly, it would grieve me quite a lot to lose another talented student."_

With her cheeks flushed with shame Akane hid her face by drinking her scalding coffee. And here she hoped that she wasn't totally transparent. She lost the sight of herself somewhere along the way. Even though she knew that Saiga would never turn her in, she could never be sure that nobody in the Bureau would feel obliged to report her increasing deviations to the chief. Not to say about Sibyl already knowing the Division 1 leader's view on the current system. She had to get her act together. For everybody's sake.

With her hands tightly clutched around the mug Akane raised her head and gave her teacher the best reassuring smile she could muster.

"_I'll be fine. You are the only one I talk to like that, sensei."_

_A lie. Good grief._ _What are you doing? _her voice cried out in her head.

Not believing Akane's wavering smile Saiga gave her a scowl. When it didn't work he gave up and said chuckling again:

"_I know that you can go much further than most and still come back, but... Well, I guess you know your own limits by now. I'm the last person you need to tell you what to do."_

With a grateful smile Inspector put her mug on the coffee table between them and stood up saying her goodbyes. Having retrieved her intercom and already in front of the door of Saiga's cell Akane was forced to pause by his barely audible farewell:

"_Still, watch your back, Tsunemori."_

"… _I will."_

In her car in front of rehabilitation facility Akane absentmindedly traced the shape of the bracelet with her fingers. Having it on has always been a reminder of what she was fighting for. More and more often though it made her feel like she's struck a deal with the devil and this metal band on her hand was the real collar to mark her in her fall. Somehow it became heavier day by day. Akane shook her head and started the engine. Putting in the route and leaning back in her seat Tsunemori watched the lights of the city fly by.

She followed the path she chose, because it was the only way she could make a change back then. Now with everything she's been through, she was walking the borderline she never expected to find herself on. Her hope that the System could be changed or shut down in the future turned out to be double-edged. Though she did serve justice she believed in as much as it could be done and protected people from System's brutality, Akane Tsunemori was quite aware of the fact that the process of turning Sibyl into what it should be would take years, if not decades, and she felt that she as well was changing in that process. Every loss she endured added a new crack in her resolve to let Sibyl evolve to the point where they step aside on their own will and not to simply burn it to the ground. And though she became stronger, Inspector felt more and more uneasy. Akane felt that she was running out of time. Everything indicated that _they_ were planning to go public soon. And when they "win over the society", there will be no changing the order they establish. Then the brainwashed crowd of identical minds lead by their golden god will become Sibyl's "ideal" society. And it won't matter to anyone if their god's hands are covered in their own blood. Then all of the pain will be for nothing. The Bureau will be rearranged and all of the current officers will be eliminated as a threat. Latent criminals from children to elderly people will be hunted and killed on behalf of Sibyl. The way Tsunemori struggled against System's lawlessness was not enough anymore. But she had no means of turning the way her former subordinate did and not losing herself on the way. She was alone in her dark knowledge and under constant surveillance due to her own frankness. _I should never talk again when I'm at my limit._

* * *

><p>With Saiga being an insomniac, Akane visited him right after the interrogation. So now she had an endless night ahead of her. Walking up to her apartment she wondered what happened to the boy they saved today. By now he must have realized what had happened in that parking lot. Seems like for a hundredth time this day Akane shook her head. <em>You shouldn't get attached. That's what is always used against you. Everyone you care about is at risk. You have enough ghosts to escort you as it is. Don't make this boy another one. Do. Not. Get. Attached. <em>Easier said than done. She felt responsible for his fate. Because in the long run she broke his life as much as his mother did. His future most likely held only two possibilities now: isolation or a job of Enforcer. Either one was a damnation for someone with the mind so full of wonder about the world.

With another shake of her head Akane snapped her door shut and reactivated the alarm. She knew it could be called paranoid, but she would never live through another message _inside_ her own home.

Her new apartment was nothing like the previous one. Akane didn't go for holographic décor anymore. The bookshelves covered one wall of her living room. A huge board with notes and photographs pinned to it completely absorbed another one. A coffee table in the middle with forgotten files, an ashtray and an empty mug. Multicolored pillows of all sizes and shapes on the couch and on the floor. A huge desk with a computer on it. For an outside observer the room could be one of the Enforcer's, but Inspector didn't give it much thought anymore. The way her flat was now put her mind at ease and that was all that mattered. The only thing that reminded of her past lifestyle was Candy, now fussing around her tired form. Shooing him away Akane went straight to bed, dreading the nightmares her exhausted mind could conjure up.

When after an hour of tossing and turning sleep still evaded her, with regret Akane got out of bed. She might as well write down the report she planned to type tomorrow. So there she was again sitting at her couch burning the midnight oil with papers spread all over her coffee table and a steaming mug in hand, lighting one cigarette after another. The routine she got used to what felt like eternity ago.

* * *

><p>This time was different. The cold steady hands at her throat were different from anything she's ever had to face. Impassive eyes in front of her glowed red and sent chills down her spine. Her Dominator fell abandoned somewhere in the dark and out of her reach. Old metal under her feet rattled at every step. The smell of rust and taste of blood oozing from her split lip made Tsunemori feel dizzy. Trying to pry the firm grip off herself she felt the railing dig painfully into her spine. And then under her weight the rusted thing gave and Akane felt the ground go from under her feet. A second before the impact Akane knew what was waiting for her.<p>

..._are you from Chiba Prefecture?..._

_...yes. I am..._

_...your athletic ability isn't bad and yet...I wonder why...yeah...you can't swim..._

Swishing of the air in her ears was interrupted by a load splash. Then an abyssal silence took over. Struggling to get back to the surface Akane helplessly watched glimmering lights of Tokyo slowly vanish into darkness. The bubbles of precious air escaped her lips. Her back touched the seabed.

..._you can't dive into the abyss and come back unchanged..._

Lungs burning with the lack of oxygen, Tsunemori tried to push herself up again. With her conscience slipping away the woman saw a small luminous jellyfish float above her head. It burst in a blast of energy, pushing aside layers upon layers of water and burning the woman down to her core.

* * *

><p>Gasping frantically Akane woke up on her couch. An unfinished report fell from her fingers at the sudden movement. Staring wide-eyed at the ceiling Akane tried to drive away the aftershocks of feeling her flesh burn and recollect herself. When that didn't happen, she sat up and took a gulp of now cold coffee. That seemed to help. With a weak sigh of relief Inspector closed her eyes and leaned against the back of the couch. The clock showed 6:17am. On good days she would have woken up almost an hour later than that. But there was no way she could fall asleep again. Getting up Akane finished her coffee and went to get herself ready for the day. A nightmare is just a nightmare. She got too used to them to be surprised that it wasn't an old memory haunting her even in her sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>Satoshi Asamura's psycho-pass has stabilized in three days stopping at 127.3 with no chance of further recovery. Even though they knew it was the most expected outcome, Division 1 felt somewhat devastated. The boy became a latent criminal and was meant to stay in rehabilitation for an indefinite time. Somehow against her best judgment Akane found herself unable to stay away from the boy. It became a habit of hers to visit him every now and then. She knew that Yayoi and Shion did the same, as did Ginoza and even shy Hinakawa, but none of them had a target painted at the back of their heads. And certainly against none of them did Sibyl System have a grudge as they did against Inspector Akane Tsunemori. But every time she saw the boy's face lit up at the sight of her she just allowed herself to hope that she won't let him join her ghostly retinue. That one day he could walk out of that cell and see the sky again. That she won't let anyone in her care become collateral damage in her fight.<p>

And then she was shown just how sorrowfully wrong and selfish she was in getting attached to someone again.

* * *

><p><em>I'm really sorry it took me so long to get back here, but the exams were just HORRIBLE. Still, for almost 2 weeks I'm a free person, so I'll try to catch up on the time I've lost. Please R&amp;R)))<em>

Oh, yeah, Happy New Year, guys! ;)


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